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$95,093.35 adventure, part vii ending the fical matter
it was a wild scene retrieving the cashiers check from my safe deposit box. the press again returned to cover the return of the money. this caused a snafu getting into my final meeting with the legal eagle. but finally, on the same day the oj simpson verdict came back, not guilty, i sat down at a conference room table to settle this matter.
the lawyer and i had a short checklist to work through: sign the agreement, provide each other with originals, confirm that i had returned the check--and, last: "have you brought the two checks for the interest and the closing of your account?" i had.
i took the checks out of my bag. although the words "non-negotiable" didn't take up more than an inch in the top right-hand corner of each one, they stood out like sore thumbs.
i truly wish a photographer had been there to capture the look on charles ward's face. it was classic.
he tilted his head to confirm that the words he was seeing were real. and then his head started shaking no, and his mouth said, "patrick, patrick, patrick....this is a problem. this is a problem. what are we going to do here?" his head kept shaking back and forth.
i held back my smile and said, "don't worry about those words, charles. the words 'non-negotiable' on the face of a check don't invalidate it. it's still a perfectly legal instrument. that's my point."
i left the bank and walked toward my car. as i passed someone sitting at a restaurant table in the sun, reading a newspaper, my gaze leapt to the huge headline across the top: "$95,000 of fun coming to an end." unbelievable! and it was on the second page of the edition that i later learned had sold in record numbers--the paper with the front-page headline, "o.j. not guilty."
i felt like i'd won the lottery.
i have only this left to express. if you come to a place where you need to stand up for yourself, i suggest employing five tools: education, courage, kindness, prayer, and a sense of humor.
**my $95,000 adventure led me to being hired by a television show
the segments i did for hard copy led me to being offered a job as on-air-talent/producer for realtv, a new show premiering this fall . for instance, i went with a hidden camera and busted rip-off carwashes.
**i tell my $95,000 adventure in a 60 keynote presentation
i make my living as a keynote speaker and i tell my $95,000 adventure in a 60 minute talk. if you'd like me to see me present this story or any of my other motivational topics to your organization, company or college, email me for the details.
**more adventures you can read
i've written 22 more of my adventures since i've completed this story. read about the baby i delivered on the sidewalk, the ass i tried to kick, the hidden camera stories i've done for television, the train i jumped, and many more. if you don't read them now, bookmark my adventures page and read them next.
** check it out!
i hope you'll check out more of my website. it is a site for motivation, inspiration, careers & personal development, nutrition, health, internships, adventure and money. great for students, entrepreneurs, job seekers, adventurers, speakers, authors and those who wish to excel.
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the adventure continues
november 15, 1995
i gave back the money about six weeks ago, but the incident is still making waves in my life. actually, i'm a bit taken aback by the effects that senseless deposit is having on my life.
i have been alerted by many interneters that the second round of headlines appeared in many newspapers with a photo of myself and the keys. these stories prompted more radio interviews, and requests continue to come in.
recently the donahue show called to invite me on as a guest. i agreed, and in the midst of my five-week speaking tour, they flew me out to new york for a taping. i was quite exciting to meet phil donahue, the man who'd started the talk show and who'd been doing it longer than anyone else.
the strangest thing to result from all of this is a guest reporter role on hard copy. hard copy liked the two segments i did for them about the check so much that they offered me the opportunity to do more stories for them. they asked me to go on other adventures, or expose other absurdities--and i could do so knowing they would run on hard copy. they had in mind three to six of these segments, and they wanted to tape them as soon as possible.
patrick combs is an entertaining/motivational keynote speaker, and also the author of major in success: make college easier, beat the system & get a very cool job (ten speed press). all contents on this page ? 1995, by patrick combs. all rights reserved. http://www.goodthink.com
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